I'll be moving over to all grain within the next year or so, so I'm going to slowly get the equipment. First on the list is a bigger brew pot. I guess I could end up eventually at 10 gallon batches, but for teh forseeable future, 5 gallons will be it. What size pot should I look into?

My question is I guess I can do full boil extract brews, but will this improve my beer? Even if I have a big enough brew pot to boil 5 gallons, should I do it?

Right now I brew in the kitchen on a gas stove. Can I get away without a burner and still boil 5 gallons?

I think full boils will improve you beer more than anything else. I could boil the 6 gallons required to do a 5 gallon batch on my gas stove, but I set the pot across 2 burners to get a little more heat. I took a while to get the pot to a boil, but I could do it.

As far as pot size, don't get anything less than 8 gallons. Bigger is better.

__________________On Tap:Whatever I just brewed (got sick of updating it)

I would go for a pot large enough to boil 10 gallons if you're planning on ending up there. The general rule is that equipment can still be used for one batch size down. I guess a 15 gallon pot would be the appropriate size for a 10 gallon boil.

You may be able to find a great deal on a burner which includes a 8 gallon pot for a minor amount more than a burner alone. In this case, you can wait on the 15 gallon pot. This is what I did.

__________________It may take a real man to brew a big beer, but it takes a big man to brew a real beer.

I know I can get a turkey fryer and a 30 qt. pot, but those are all aluminum. I'm not a big fan of aluminum pots. I guess it would be ok for a short term thing, but I would definately want to go to a bigger SS pot. I do want to get out of the kitchen, so this might be the right way to go.

When I make the cooler MLT, I know I'm going to step up a bit in case I want to go to 10 gallon batches. I still bottle, so I won't go to bigger batches. The only thing I find a PITA is capping. I've used EZ-caps and growlers to minimize the pain. But I do a lot of camping, so kegs aren't in my near future. Party pigs or the other portable keg thing might work.

exactly what they said- the brew pot and wort chiller can be used now, and then used later when you go AG. A full boil does make a difference- it's closer to AG procedure and gives you better hops utilization.

__________________Broken Leg BreweryGiving beer a leg to stand on since 2006